The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the nature of marriage and family therapy supervision from the perspectives of supervisors and supervisees. Two supervisors and four supervisees in an AAMFT-approved doctoral program participated in in-depth interviews focusing on their previously recorded supervision sessions. Results indicate that supervisees and supervisors tend to punctuate their experiences in supervision along an intersecting continuum of role and relationship. Supervisees experienced a high degree of anxiety during supervision and were particularly concerned with the issue of dual roles. Supervisors experienced themselves as empowering the supervisees to awaken to their own potential and avoid being viewed in an all-knowing position. / Ph. D.

Informed by constructivist and social constructionist theory, a qualitative research study was conducted applying Andersen’s (1991) reflecting team model to explore use of self themes in the supervision process. A male and female Supervisor were paired with a male and female therapist to form two person supervision and reflecting teams. Four RTS sessions were conducted. Each RTS session involved three phases: 1) supervision of a case with the reflecting team observing, 2) reflecting team discussion of their observations with the supervision team observing, and 3) supervision follow-up by the supervision team with the reflecting team observing. The three phases of the RTS process led to three derivations of the original therapist story. The RTS process was discussed after each session in the post-session discussion. Utilizing the reflections of the reflecting team from Phase 2, a difference that makes a difference was introduced into the supervision story. In Phase 3, the supervision follow-up, the supervisor helped the therapist explore previously non-conscious use of self themes in the supervision narrative and construct a different narrative about him/herself and the case brought for supervision. The nature of the points of connection established in the socially constructed conversation between the therapist and client(s) was pertinent to the establishment of a "relational distance" between the client and the therapist that was too close or too distant. The supervisor not only helped the therapist become aware of the points of connection but also helped introduce a difference that allowed the therapist to be more maneuverable. All three phases of RTS are important to a supervision process. The role of the reflecting team in uncovering the "unsaid," and the supervisor in creating a difference possibly become less critical as supervisors develop reflexivity and incorporate these two phases into their typical supervision process. / Ph. D.